Now Commenting On:

Familia flashes potential while notching first save

Email

Print

Familia earns the save 0:25

5/3/13: Jeurys Familia gets Dan Uggla to strike out swinging to end the game, securing a 7-5 Mets victory in extra innings

By Anthony DiComo
/
MLB.com |

ATLANTA -- The Mets may have caught a glimpse of their future late in Friday's game, when Jeurys Familia came on to close a two-run game in the 10th. With regular closer Bobby Parnell already out of the game, Familia dialed his fastball into the upper-90s while retiring the Braves in order.

"Whether he's a closer or whether he's an eighth-inning guy, he's got all the makings of it," manager Terry Collins said when asked if Familia has the chops to close games.

Still, Collins said he is not ready to move Familia up the bullpen totem pole just yet, with Brandon Lyon, Scott Atchison and LaTroy Hawkins giving the manager a plethora of experienced late-inning options. There may never be an opportunity for Familia to close in New York, with Parnell pitching well and under team control through 2015.

But Collins likes the idea of the hard-throwing Parnell and Familia teaming at the back end of his bullpen, be it now or in future seasons.

"I thought the other night was a big step forward for him, coming into that game to get his first save," Collins said. "Certainly he's the future down the road. He's the guy that everybody looks at to be a back-end-of-the-bullpen kind of a guy. Has he moved up? I think we'll pick our spots for him."

Anthony DiComo is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @AnthonyDicomo. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.